Faro Restaurants

We had dinner in the esplanade, noticing the easy shown by the owner getting space - all the tables were occupied, but, since we didn't want to eat inside (no one wanted, in that hot night) he quickly moved a couple of tables and a few chairs outside to sit us.

The situation repeated with more groups, until there were no more tables inside, and the esplanade almost the double of the original size.

The service was very slow; a few costumers near us complained, and we got the explanation - the computer was crashing often. We were forced to wait until midnight for someone arriving by bus, and the problem didn't bother us too much.

The food was very good. We were five, choose five different dishes, and everybody appreciated his choice. The price was also acceptable.

Unfortunately I didn't find a restaurant where I had a very good lunch or dinner in Faro. Adega Nortenha was one of the best places I ate in the town.

The restaurant is a very simple place and the food was good. Here they serve various kinds of fish and meat.

Favorite Dish: I liked very much their tuna steak with vegetables.

1 more image

The Lonely Planet suggested avoiding any place calling itself a 'Restaurante' in Portugal but in Restaurante Costa Algarvia we definitely found an exception to this rule. Maybe in Summer it mightn't be so cosy but in February, with several generations of family running it and eating there themselves, it was a warm and welcoming haven. We ate here twice and both times had the excellent tapas plate crammed with chorizo and cured ham. Accompanied by a warm ciabata-type bread, it was difficult to find room for a main course afterwards but we managed. We had omelettes, chicken and the piece de resistance - grilled meat kebabs.

House red at EUR 8 a bottle was a steal and some interesting local specialities for desert. Not all of these were as good as they sounded, especially the little almondy/honey concoctions that come in small tinfoil parcels but the lemon sorbet was sublime.

Favorite Dish: Definitely, the spectacular grilled meat kebebs,served on dangling skewers and interspersed with melt in the mouth red and green peppers.

We found the cost of eating and drinking incredibly cheap in Faro but the Fim de Mundo restaurant, took the biscuit so to speak.We ate here on Sunday night, attracted by the pleasant ambience and the fact that many families were dining there. Service was friendly and matter of fact. Certain things were available and certain things weren't and what we ordered was cooked there and then. We both had bread, cheese and salad to start, pork ribs and chargrilled chicken for main course, something deliciously custardy for desert, a bottle of house wine and a bottle of water. All this came to a grand total of EUR 24.90, the price of a main course in some of our restaurants here in Ireland. We came back on Tuesday night but unfortunately,it was closed.

Fim de Mundo is in Rua Vasco da Gama, near Rua de Santa Antonio. There are no contact details on the receipt but you can't miss it.

Favorite Dish: My favourite dish was the chargrilled chicken which tasted quite unlike any other chicken I've tasted in a long, long time. Served with soft potato chips and a simple salad, unassuming, filling and succulent.

Gardy is a cafe-restaurant located in the modern area of Faro. They have a large selections of pastries, cakes and ice creams. Here you can also have a menu of the day, several kinds of sandwiches and other things.

Favorite Dish: You should go there for their ice cream. I'd suggest to taste the mango flavour.

This is a small, local family run restaurant. Probably the best rotiserie chicken you will ever have outside of Guia, Algarve. No more than 25 seatings. VERY reasonabley priced. They are open 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm.

We would always show up there after the beach, at just about lunch time closing, 3pm and the owners would always sit us down and we would end up having lunch with the owners and workers. Very gracious hosts with incredible food. The place is both a sit down restaurant and a take out and quite busy, but the wait for a table is never very long since it is a restaurant frequented by the locals during lunch and dinner and not by lounging tourists.

I cannot stress enough that if you are ever in Faro, Algarve, to try this restaurant.

PS> We asked the owner once how he came up with the name Wimpy. He says it is the name of a diner he once saw in London, England> And hoping to attract tourists, he used this name. Ironic, since very little tourist traffic ever goes here. Truly a hidden gem.

Favorite Dish: They have the varied menu but by far my favourite is the grilled chicken, fries, salad and a bottle of Casal Garcia wine. I can tase the meal now. AMAZING!

We had the most fantastic meal at this restaurant near the marina - can't remember the name which is not very helpful but I can say that the boats are behind the restaurant and the ocean is in front. It's not hard to find.

Delicious food...great service....great spot. Go upstairs and out onto the verandah. The view isn't spectacular (the ocean is a bit swampy here) but it's still pretty great atmosphere..

Favorite Dish: They served cheese and bread to begin, we had a bottle of wine and we had a seafood casserole which was flavoursome and scrumptious. Fantastic.

2 more images

I ate at La Pizza one evening during a trip to Faro in January 2007.

This popular pizza restaurant, busy with local students on the evening that we ate there, is located on the narrow side street of Travessa José Coelho in the heart of Faro. It is located just a few minutes walk from the marina and just minutes away from some of Faro's most popular bars and clubs.

It is therefore a good place to grab a bite to eat before hitting the local bars - which is exactly what we did!

The interior is a little cramped, with several tables in the small ground level dining room. There are also tables upstairs, but I didn't venture up there so I can't comment on the size of the upstairs dining area.

As you would expect, the menu consists largely (but not quite exclusively) of pizzas with all the usual toppings. The prices were in line with what you'd expect from most pizza places, ranging from 7 or 8 Euros for a large Margherita pizza to 14 or 15 Euros for a pizza topped with various meats and vegetables.

Favorite Dish: I opted for:

Campania pizza - medium size - Cost: Approx 8 Euros

An oven baked pizza with a thin base and crispy crust. Topped with diced bacon and a fried egg at its centre. Not spectacular by any means, but not memorably bad either - just a run-of-the-mill pizza!

Fresh lemon juice - Cost: Approx 3 Euros

A glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice served with a bottle of mineral water and a few sachets of sugar. The idea was to mix the lemon juice, water and sugar in the right proportions to create a tasty, refreshing juice. I failed miserably and ended up with a sour and bitter concoction!

Standard pizzas in a convenient location for a late night bite to eat.